Lamorinda Briefs, Oct. 12

Despite voicing some support, city leaders have rejected a plan to place a traffic roundabout on a stretch of Mt. Diablo Boulevard.

Council members unanimously said no Tuesday to building a roundabout that the engineering staff had argued would help increase pedestrian safety, slow traffic and revitalize a stretch of downtown near the intersection of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Golden Gate Way between First Street and Brown Avenue.

The council did approve a modified plan for intermittent landscaped medians in that same area.

The roundabout decision followed more than two months of debate on a plan some residents and business owners said would limit access to businesses and create traffic headaches, among other complaints.

Some residents launched a website detailing their opposition to the idea, and others gathered hundreds of signatures on a petition urging the City Council to vote no on the roundabout.

Engineering Services Manager Tony Coe said in an interview he was not surprised the council turned down the traffic circle, and explained that the first roundabout introduced in a community "is typically met with objections."

While roundabouts have been discussed in the past to relieve traffic congestion in other parts of the city, it is the first time one has formally been introduced and recommended by the city staff, Coe said.

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Orinda

School board round-table scheduled Oct. 15

The League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley and the Orinda Association are hosting a school board candidate round-table Monday at the Orinda Library.

Incumbent Matthew Moran will face off against challengers Sarah Butler, Bekki Van Voorhis-Gilbert and Jason Lurie for two open seats on the governing board.

The debate begins at 7 p.m. at the library, 26 Orinda Way.

Walnut Creek

Lindsay Wildlife Museum to hold annual gala

The Lindsay Wildlife Museum will hold its annual "Fall For Our Wildlife Gala" at 6 p.m. Oct. 13. Held at the Round Hill Country Club in Alamo, there will be live entertainment and auctions. Former Contra Costa Times columnist and museum curator emeritus Gary Bogue will be honored.

The museum cares for 80 native California wild animals and treats more than 5,300 injured or orphaned animals each year in its rehabilitation hospital.